Finding Her
by Eighteen Inches
Summary: Finding her was the fresh start he most desperately needed.


AN: This is written for the "Ultimate Death Eaters Competition." And it also fits the requirements for the "Character Diversity Bootcamp Challenge," for the prompt: Façade. Both of which are on HPFC.

Well, this is my first time writing Draco and I actually think I did a good job. I guess that's for you to decide. Enjoy!(:

Thanks for my awesome Beta, Ashley, for betareading this! :)

Disclaimer: All rights to their rightful owners. I'm not JK Rowling, so none of this is mine.

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Finding Her

He's made some bad choices in his life; he's done some unforgiveable things and actually done some Unforgivable Curses. He's not proud of the choices he's made – but the past can't be changed. He has to live with it.

He has to live with the stares he gets whenever he goes out. He deals with the whispered voices around him and people pointing him out – it's his fault he's in that position. He chose his path – and this is the outcome.

Everyone judges him based on the stories they've heard. He shouldn't care, but for some reason, deep down, maybe he does.

He deals with everything by putting on his arrogant façade. The one he's so familiar with – that got him through his last two years of Hogwarts.

Still, it hurts when he catches parts of people's conversations as he passes by – especially what he hears mothers tell their children.

"_Is he the one who killed Dumbledore?" "No, he was too sissy to do it himself."_

"_You see him? That's the Malfoy boy, avoid him. Don't go near him. Don't even look at him."_

"_Don't trust the Malfoys – any of them. They're bad news – especially that one."_

Each thing he hears is much worse than the last. He just continues with his facade and doesn't express his true feelings – because he's a Malfoy and he doesn't do that. He just acts like he doesn't hear them – even though he does

He thinks his life can't get any better – that is, until he meets _her. _

She hears the whispers too but Astoria Greengrass doesn't care about his past – she only cares about who he is now.

"Just ignore the whispers, Draco. We can't live in the past," she tells him. "We also can't change it…all we can do is live in the present and move on with our life."

He listens to her and does just that, because she's the first person he's met that looks past his family name – the Malfoy name. She doesn't judge him and he appreciates that – he doesn't need that now.

Meeting Astoria was what he needed. He cuts ties with his old school mates – though, that was already done, so to speak. He ignores letters from Pansy – why was she writing to him anyway? It's not like he even gave her a second glance after they broke up.

He doesn't care about her anymore – not that he really did, to begin with.

Each letter he gets goes straight into the fireplace – unopened and unread. He's not going back to his old ways.

He's going to start over and Astoria is the fresh start to the new life he most desperately needs.

The more time he spends with her, the more he gets to know her. The more he slowly begins to fall in love with her. Because of her, he knows he will turn his life around.

No matter how hard it takes, he will change. It's what needs to be done. He'll change for her, because he loves her. He only has to prove that to her. He doesn't have to make a big scene out of it. Malfoy's don't do that.

"You're the reason for me becoming a better person," he tells her. "I don't know how I would have gotten through these times if it weren't for you."

"I'm glad to hear that," she replies, smiling.

Draco smiles for real, for the first time in a long time and he has Astoria to thank for that. He knows that if it were anyone else, he wouldn't feel like he does, or begin smiling.

He's glad for this chance to start over. He doesn't want to imagine his life if he hadn't meant Astoria – he knows he wouldn't like it. He would probably still be living in the past – instead of the present.

It's because of Astoria that he allows himself to bring a child into the world. It's because of her that he no longer says racial slurs to anyone, especially not to Granger, Potter or Weasley.

It's also because of her that he gives a curt nod to Potter and Weasley on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He at least wants to _try _to be civil – for Astoria's sake.

She's also the reason he tells Scorpius what he does.

"See them?" he asks, nodding towards the Potters and the Weasleys. "Be nice to them; show them that you're not like the stereotypes you've heard."

Scorpius nods and Draco knows that he's done his son a favor – it would be better to be friends of the Weasley clan, than to be an enemy. Hopefully, he can make his son's life easier than his was.

It's all because of Astoria. Finding her was the best thing that could have happened to him.

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AN: So, that's that. What did you think? Do you think I did a good job with writing him?


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